


Long Shot

by DixieDale



Category: Clan O'Donnell - Fandom, Garrison's Gorillas
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-06
Updated: 2018-11-06
Packaged: 2019-08-19 19:09:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,438
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16540430
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DixieDale/pseuds/DixieDale
Summary: Sometimes things just don't go according to plan.  Sometimes that's bad; sometimes, it still works out okay.





	Long Shot

He could see the faint outline of the cottage now, stumbling as he forced himself forward, trying not to fall; he'd already done that far too many times in the last few days, each time the getting up just that much harder. He'd barely made it to the base of the stone wall, wasn't sure he could make it to the top and over; tilting his head, it looked twice as high as it usually did. Luckily, his body seemed to know how to go about it, since his mind couldn't have given directions anymore. Once he managed to reach the top, his concentration wavered and his grasp loosened, and he slid to the ground on the other side, landing hard on his back, forcing the remaining breath from his tortured lungs.

Now he remembered the key she'd shown him, the easier way of obtaining entrance. Why he'd forgotten about that, he didn't know, except his pain, his exhaustion limited his thoughts to the most essential. Though part of it was probably habit; he'd only used that gate once or twice, after all - up and over the wall was his usual mode of entry and exit. 

He raged to himself as he lay there. Shit, he hurt, damn it; he needed food and rest - had been without both for far too long, even before the smash-up with the jeep, and above all, he needed her, her help, her touch, her caring - oh, ruddy hell, he needed HER!, without trying to decide what all that might encompass. His faint whisper didn't even penetrate the silence of the night, his whispered plea, "'Gaida, coo, 'Gaida, please . . ." not audible even to his own ears.

He shut his eyes tight in the sheer frustration of it all. He had come so far, but the struggle had been too much; now he didn't even have the strength to turn over and crawl to the door, bang on it, yell, whatever it took to get her attention, not til he rested a bit. {"But Chiefy and Casino don't 'ave time for me to be laying 'ere resting!"} he fumed at himself. The stars above shimmered and spun, making him dizzy, distracting him for just a moment from the task he'd set for himself. He felt all the masks fade away, leaving only the raw essence of who, what he was, fearing that just wasn't enough.

He cursed that it had been him left relatively unscathed; he just knew Chief or Casino (or Actor or Garrison, if they'd been with them) wouldn't have given out before getting help; THEY were stronger that he was; THEY would have held it together to get the job done! One more aborted try to turn over, get to the door failed, just as did his second attempt at calling out for help. 

But none of that didn't seem to matter; suddenly she was there, hovering beside his bent form on the ground, her hand soft on his shoulder, a whining Max at her side. "Aye, laddie, I'm here," and he panted with relief that he wasn't alone any more. Now, how to let her know of the others who needed help, those still back at that overturned jeep. He struggled to tell her, explain. He felt himself fading, forcing himself to hold on, knowing he needed to tell her, ask for her help for Chief and Casino, fighting to find the strength to hold on for that long at least. He managed a few words, probably not as many as he would have preferred, but hopefully enough. He watched as the stars overhead spun out of control, taking his stomach right along with them, and then mercifully he lost consciousness.

 

***  
It had been a rough one, that last mission. They'd had bad intel, though not through anyone's fault this time. The situation on the ground had just changed rapidly since their departure from England, enough that the original plan was useless. Still, the firm, confident smile, and the brisk, "look, guys. I know it's a long shot, but, we're already here; let's see what we can come up with," from Garrison hadn't really surprised anyone, though Casino had bitched about it plenty. Well, no one expected anything else, not from either of them. 

Chief had just waited calmly for the plan to be laid out; Goniff had shaken his head, inwardly agreeing with Casino about it being smarter to just 'haul ass outta here', but then shrugged, knowing whatever the Warden came up with, he'd go along. Well, what the hell else was he supposed to do, anyway??!

And, even Casino had to admit, for a plan put together on the fly, it had come out pretty damned good. The level of confusion in that hidden installation was something that was going to take a hell of a long time to deal with, and in the meantime, the local Underground could get some serious work done. Yeah, that long shot had paid off, all right.

On the sub coming back, they'd compared cuts and bruises and decided Casino and Chief probably came out ahead in the tally, with Goniff taking some heavy lumps, but coming out better than could be expected after that unexpected dive out that back window; after all, it hadn't been a ground-floor window and it had been closed when he crashed through dodging that burst of machine gun fire! Actor had come out unscathed, and so had Garrison, which was a novelty. 

They were tired, though, needing care, nourishment and rest. They just hoped the debriefing would be quick; they wanted to get home, or at least, back to what passed for home these days. 

"Three days, I'm gonna sleep for three days straight, and I swear, anyone tries to stop me, I'm gonna shoot em!" Casino had growled, and no one had any problem with that agenda, none. Garrison made a note to let the Sergeant Major know, though, just in case. 

The sub landed, they headed back to London HQ, and thought for once luck was with them. Major Lang had been assigned for their debriefing, along with two of his lieutenants. Lang was one of the better ones, got the job done but didn't waste a lot of time on nonsense. With any luck, they'd all be home in time for dinner, then bed. Or not, as the case may be.

***  
"What do you mean, they're not back yet??!" Garrison fumed. "They were supposed to come straight back here! I gave them strict orders, no side trips, no nothing - just collect a jeep at the Motor Pool at HQ and get back here!" 

Sergeant Major Rawlins was still struggling to get his uniform in place, not to mention his mind; he'd been sound asleep and in the middle of a very pleasant dream about the Pastor's newly arrived sister when Garrison and Actor had pulled in an hour before dawn. Hopefully his pink face would be put down to being caught out of uniform, not any other reason; he was trying not to resent them interruping that very enjoyable, very promising walk through the adjoining woods with the tall lady with the sweet smile and gentle eyes. {"Rebecka. I do like that name, I do."}

Actor had a frown on his face, too, but his was more concerned than annoyed. "Craig, as far as I know, that WAS their intention. Frankly, they were all three as exhaused as we were; they talked of nothing other than getting back and sleeping for two or three days straight."

Rawlins was still trying to make sense of it all, "you didn't all come back together? Was there some problem at HQ?" 

Garrison snorted, "Major Johns decided he had to debrief Actor and me, even though Lang and his team had already debriefed all of us at considerable length. We had to wait around; I didn't figure there was any reason for the others to have to just sit there, since Johns seemed to have overlooked them, so I sent them on ahead. If I'd known he'd just go through the motions, be done that fast, I'd have had them wait so we could come back together." 

Major Johns disapproved of the team, had never known quite how to deal with Garrison's men, so settled for ignoring them as much as possible, alternating that with a patronizing low-level but still evident hostility. He'd only included Actor in the extra debriefing since Actor served as Garrison's second-in-command. Why he'd decided he had to do a second debriefing in the first place was anybody's guess. He and Major Kingston did like to meddle in things not strictly any of their business; that was hardly a secret.

A pounding on the door sent Rawlins on a run, "ere now, w'at's all this . . ." he started, only to see Private Jenkins using one arm to support Alice Miller, Constable Ben Miller's wife, her wide-eyed and struggling to get her breath.

"Phone lines are still down, Sergeant Major; Ben sent me to fetch you. He's gone on. There's been an accident!" A few brief words and the three men, along with Private Jenkins, were in a hastily-summoned jeep headed down the long road to the north. 

It was getting light now, light enough for them to see what was ahead. Garrison took a deep breath at the skid marks leading over the edge of the road, the battered jeep laying on its side half-way down the embankment. It had obviously rolled a few times in its journey.

"Christ, Actor! We drove right past here coming in! We drove . . ."

The tall Italian put an understanding hand on Garrison's shoulder, "it was dark, Craig; we were driving without lights. There is no way we could have known."

They hurried to follow Rawlins and Jenkins down toward the jeep, where they could see a small group kneeling around two still forms. Garrison skidded the last few feet, dashing to Dr. AJ Riley.

"AJ? How are they?" he asked, half afraid of the answer. {"And only two? Casino, Chief. Where's Goniff?"} he thought to himself, a deep dread chilling his mind. 

"Better than they have any right to be, after that, Lieutenant," AJ replied, nodding at what remained of the jeep. "Chief has a nasty gash along his ribs, two broken as well, perhaps more. Concussion, probably, though I think he's starting to regain consciousness. Casino. . ." 

A deeply annoyed growl came from the second figure, "Casino can talk for himself, Doc. Casino is pissed, that's how he is. Warden, some asshole shot out the front tire just as we came around that curve in the road. You find me that son of a bitch and I'll shove that gun straight up . . ." 

Sheila Riley put a calming hand on his forehead, uttering a soft "sssshhh", and the safecracker flushed a little, "sorry; forgot you were here."

She smiled down at him, "understandably so, Casino. Lieutenant, Casino will be fine; the break is a simple greenstick fracture. He will be laid up til it heals, but there should be no complications." 

Garrison nodded, then swallowed and asked, "and Goniff? Where . . ." taking a long look at the mangled mess that remained of the military jeep, fearing the worst. 

Casino snorted, "where the hell do you think he is? Where he always heads when we get back from a job! A course, this time, I'm not gonna yell at him about it. Who knows how long we'd've laid here if he hadn't headed outta here like a homing pigeon!!" 

AJ interrupted him, "Lieutenant, that needs to wait; Goniff's being cared for, I assure you. Let that be enough for now. We need to get both of your men back to the Mansion where I can treat them better. Casino can explain later," and Garrison nodded, still concerned about Goniff, but knowing better than to push the issue right then. It took all of them working together to get Garrison's men back up to the road and into the vehicles, then to the Mansion and settled comfortably.

Settled in on their cots in the Dorm, (while Garrison once again cursed to himself at the stubbornness of the system for not allowing him to put them in actual beds, even bedrooms of their own), Casino took an appraising look at Chief, who was now awake and listening as well, and continued the story.

"So, we finally convince the bozo at the Motor Pool that we're just obeying orders to report back to our base, not stealing that damned piece-a-shit jeep, and head out. Didn't even stop for coffee; started to, but there was a bunch of guys in there we've had run-in's with before - figured we weren't in any shape to take em on. Chief's driving, starts having trouble with the brakes after about an hour. We figure, we'll take it slow, not push it, should be okay, ya know? The little Limey is chattering away, not as fast as usual, but still yakking about what he's gonna ask Meghada to cook for him, as soon as he's had some sleep. I'm givin him a hard time, ya know, about taking her for granted, and then he gives me some dumb ass answer that don't make any sense and leans back to take a nap. I'm telling Chief that he just doesn't get it, the Indian's laughing at me, telling me I'M the one that's missing the point. Then, next thing I know, outta the blue, there's this gunshot, the jeep swerves and the brakes give out totally! We go flying, and end up down in that gully." 

He stopped to take a swig of the drink Actor had brought him, thinking about that moment.

"Shit, thought we were all done for! All the shit we get up to, all the times with the Krauts, and there we were, gonna die in a freakin road accident back here from some asshole shooting at us! I come to, I'm halfway down the slope, the Indian's off to the side, and Goniff is kneeling over him, ripping his shirt open to take a look. I start to pull myself over to them, and I can see Goniff's banged up too, not as bad as Chief, but plenty of blood. Turns out the cut on the side of his head's not so deep, but you know how a head wound bleeds! He's hunched some too, got slammed in the ribs pretty good, I'd say, though maybe his stomach, I don't know."

Another sip and he continued. "Anyway, there's no way we was crawling up that bank, least, not me and the Indian; you know how steep it is through there. I can tell my leg's broke, but otherwise I'm in pretty good shape; but Chief? No telling how bad it was, knew he needed help. Goniff helps get me over next to Chief, tells me what to do, where to press, then tells me he's going for help. So the little Limey heads out; slid back down a couple a times, fell hard on all those rocks, had to hurt like hell. Didn't think he was gonna be able to do it, but you know him, part squirrel, part monkey, all stubborn when he's doin that mother hen thing he does. Knew we weren't all that far away from home, but with him being on foot and all bunged up, figured it'd be a long time before anyone came. And you know that stretch, no houses til you get almost to the village."

"Guess we're lucky Meghada's cottage is the first one you come to; the condition he was in, way he kept saying he had to get to her, don't think he was thinking straight. Hell, might not have been thinking at all, by then, just going on automatic. Well, there coulda been worse places to head to, that's for sure. Quicker than I'd've thought, there comes Meghada and Max, backtracking. Then, she's on the radio, and here comes Doc Riley and Ben Miller. Meghada gives me a pat, tells me she's headed back to Goniff; seems she'd left him with Sheila Riley. Then, a little while later, Jake shows up with Sheila. Then, well, not too long after, you got there."

Casino hadn't gone into much detail about that little discussion in the jeep; he still couldn't make any sense of it and didn't feel up to explaining something he didn't understand. Now, thinking it over, remembering it, it STILL didn't make much sense. He'd been listening to Goniff go on and on, debating just what he'd pester Meghada into making, and the list just getting longer and longer, and Casino had had one of his admittedly rare introspective moments, and even more rare moment of sharing those thoughts. 

"Ya know, Goniff. A woman dont want a man who only shows up when he's hurt or hungry or lost, or cause he dont have any place better to be. If that's the only reason he's coming around, sooner or later he'll show up and she'll be long gone."

Now, for some reason, he was worrying about that, how he wasn't sure the little Limey understood that. Damned shame to screw it all up by . . . well, whatever the hell Goniff was doing. Maybe taking advantage? Maybe taking her for granted?? Wasn't that HE didn't UNDERSTAND the temptation; hell, the redhead, lush and enticing, for all her reputation, always seemed to have a warm welcome for the little Cockney, never turned him away no matter what; it was just that Goniff just seemed to accept that anymore, without question, maybe without even thinking about it.

Finally when he didn't get a response from Goniff, Casino took a deep breath and ended his spiel with a serious, "hey, man, I mean it. You ever think she maybe wants more? You know, other than you just showing up for a meal, or some pampering, or to get patched up, or cause you're bored?" 

Casino felt a little foolish when Goniff looked at him like Casino was maybe six years old and not too bright either. "Coo, Casino! Don't you get it? That may be WHEN I 'ead off to the Cottage sometimes; dont mean that's WHY!!"

Casino shook his head, bewildered, "then why?"

A slow knowing, deeply calm smile came over the slender Englishman's face, one Casino could see in the bright moonlight, but just didn't get, any more than he 'got' the words that followed, "cause that's where SHE is, and that's where I want to be; can't think of a better place TO be, than where she is." 

Casino just stared as Goniff settled back against the seat, folded his arms over his chest and prepared to doze, as if the subject was closed. Casino had a look of total bewilderment and a load of frustration on his face, glanced over to see Chief with an almost-smile on his face.

"Did YOU understand what I was trying to say, cause I sure as hell don't think he did," Casino grumbled.

Then a full smile DID break out over Chief's face, "oh, he understood, Casino, and he answered you. You think on it a bit, you'll figure it out, maybe. And don't worry about Meghada; she understands just fine." 

Now, after explaining all that, the events anyway, to Garrison and Actor, Casino felt a flicker of worry return. After all, it had happened again, hadn't it? Goniff in trouble, hurt, and where did he head for? The Cottage, and the redhead.

Chief had been listening, had been watching Casino's face. Well, Casino didn't hide things too well, and Chief was a careful observer. Now, Chief let a flicker of a smile cross his face, "Casino, let it go. You still don't get it. Give it time; you don't figure it out in a week or two, we'll let Meghada explain it to you."

Garrison looked from one to the other, then at Actor, puzzled at what he was missing.

Actor had just smiled, shook his head reassuringly, "don't worry, Craig. It's fine. Now, you were wanting to check on Goniff. Do you want my company? If not, I think I'll seek out my cot and get started on that suggested 'three days of sleep'." Garrison quickly reassured him, and headed downstairs.

"Rawlins, I'm headed to the Cottage to check on Goniff."

"Yes, sir, so I assumed. Private Perkins is outside in the jeep waiting."

Garrison had thought to reprimand Rawlins for assuming he needed a driver, then caught a quick glimpse of his haggard face in the mirror, and knew how foolish that would be. {"Yeah, a driver is probably a good idea."}

She'd reassured him, just as AJ had reassured him, so he possessed himself in patience til the pain pill Goniff had been given wore off a little more. Now he sat at the kitchen table, sipping at the Meghada-strength coffee he'd wisely tempered with a goodly slosh of heavy cream; he'd even added a double spoonful of sugar, not something he'd usually do, but purely for the energy. His eyes were heavy with fatigue, but he had to reassure himself about his remaining team member before he could allow himself to rest. He looked down at the salad plate she'd just slid in front of him, blearily recognizing a large warm flattish roll almost taking up the whole plate, filled with a variety of things, it would appear, from its thickness. 

"Eat, Craig. The coffee will sit better that way, and you look like you need the nourishment," she urged him with a gentle smile. With a deep sigh, he did so, only by an amazing amount of effort keeping himself from giving a deep groan at the burst of flavors - bacon, tomato, onion, sharp herbed cream cheese, and strips of tangy green pepper.

"Christ, Meghada! That's unbelievable!!!" he moaned. 

That brought a grin to her face, "aye, thought you might like that. Onion and pepper roll, my own recipe, with all the other tucked in to make it even more appealing, a meal in itself. I'll make up a few to take up to the guys and Sergeant Major tomorrow. But for now, you were looking for an update on Goniff, of course." 

"Yes, and how you got involved, not that I'm surprised that you were!"

So he sat, slowly devouring that meal-on-a-saucer, finishing that one cup of coffee along with a second, listening to the story.

"And Max, well, that's why my father brought him, you know. And like most good trackers, he can work in reverse, once you get him over the puzzlement of why you'd want to, when the one whose scent you've sent him to is already HERE. He wasn't happy about leaving Goniff, he's that fond of him, but I convinced him it was needful. A call to AJ and Sheila, another to Ben Miller, and we determined Sheila would stay here with Goniff, get started on treating him. AJ and Ben would trail behind me in the jeep, me and Max headed out on foot. Goniff had told me they weren't too terribly far away when the accident occurred, but he couldn't say just where; he kept fading in and out by then. Anyway, Maxie led me to where Goniff had climbed up the embankment, Ben used his radio to call Alice and sent her to the Mansion, should the phone lines still be down like they've been the past couple of days. Once AJ and Ben were taking care of Chief and Casino, I headed back to Goniff in the jeep, stopped to get Jake to take Sheila to assist AJ after dropping me off. It's more confusing to describe than it seemed while it was happening, I know." 

Garrison finished the last of the bounty that had been placed in front of him, finally bringing it back to where it had started.

"He's alright, then? Really, Meghada? If not, don't . . ." Her smile was understanding as her hand reached out to cover his wrist.

"He's a little dinged, to be sure, Craig, but nothing of great note. If he hadn't already been banged around and exhausted before the crash, he'd probably be back at the Mansion by now, hovering over Chief and Casino, playing the mother hen as usual. As it is, it may take another day for that to happen. Come, see for yourself; I was just about to wake him, see if he's ready for some tea and a bit of a snack; AJ said I wasn't to let him sleep overly long before he had some nourishment." 

And he rose from the table, followed her to the bedroom door, to watch her gently rouse the half-sleeping man laying in her bed, the small black and white Max curled alongside protectively. A fast, bewildered blinking, then anxious blue eyes shifted to meet equally anxious green ones, and a quick "ei, Warden! Casino? Chiefy? 'Gaida said they were alright! W'at . . .??!" 

Garrison looked at the slender Englishman, seeing the damage, seeing much more, and smiled, "they're fine, Goniff. AJ took good care of them. But I expect you'll want to see for yourself; we'll see if we can't make that happen in the next day or so," lifting his eyes to the gold-brown ones of the young woman looking on with such open affection.

"Well, maybe a few days, anyway," Garrison smiled, "from the recipe file I saw on the table, it looks like Meghada is looking to try a few things. She could probably use an expert taster around."

The eager expression on his pickpocket's face showed just what he thought of that idea, but that look disappeared quickly, being replaced by a rather chestfallen, reluctant, but sincerely meant refusal.

"Sounds great, but w'at with Casino and Chiefy being laid up, gonna need my 'elp up at the Mansion, Warden. I'd best get back." 

Meghada exchanged a knowing glance with Garrison, {"yes, that's our mother hen!"}, then looked back at Goniff.

"Well, that's true enough. How would it be if you stayed til tomorrow, helped me pick out a few things that sound promising? Then the Lieutenant can have you fetched back, and I can start preparing a few things for you AND the guys. You need something decent, all of you, to heal properly."

That got a resounding approval from both Goniff AND Garrison. The Lieutenant wouldn't mind getting some more of her specialties, actually, not if that meal-on-a-plate she'd served him was any example.

And, yes, of course, HQ gave them grief about the jeep, but a thorough going over proved that, yes, a bullet HAD taken out the front tire, and also that the brakes had been in such bad shape the Motor Pool should never have allowed it to be taken out in the first place. 

As for the shooter? They were all on their guard for a day or two, wondering who had it in for them this time, til a highly-repentant Danny Johns was brought forward by his grandfather, Calvin.

"Was trying to pot some game, Ben, even though he knows he's not supposed to take the rifle out without I'm with him, certainly not at night. Wasn't trying to hurt anyone. They came round the curve just as he made his shot. He saw the jeep sail off the road and he got scared, too scared to say anything. I've given him a good what-for, believe you me; feel free to do the same," the weathered old man frowned down at the frightened ten year old.

Ben Miller considered, "how about we take a trip up to the Mansion, let him make his apologies to those who were IN that jeep, Calvin? Think that might make the point a mite better, seeing they're all still showing the damage. Might make the boy think twice before shooting across a road, or anywhere else you'd be likely to find people." 

And it did, with the wide-eyed Danny making his apology to Casino, his leg in a cast, and to Chief, those bandages wrapping his ribs and the bruises on his face, not to mention Goniff, with that bandaged and taped cut and all else. Still, it wasn't long til he was sharing the cookies Meghada had brought up, a cautious smile now on his face as the men, after having solemnly accepted his apology, set out to make him more at ease. 

Calvin Johns stood talking with Ben and Craig Garrison. "Boy didn't mean any harm, but he's got to learn better. It's hard, his father and uncle being off to the war, and it's just me, you know, with Mary passing last year, and his mother two years before. Can't give him all the attention he needs, with all the hours I work. Was sound asleep; didn't even know he'd left the house that night til he came to me earlier today to tell me what had happened. My daughter is coming back to live with us, and she and Danny get on like a house afire, but she's not getting here for another three weeks while she settles her own business. Just have to tough it out, but I do worry about the boy, especially after this." 

Sergeant Major was listening to it all, watching the interaction, and cleared his throat. "Seems we could use an extra 'and up 'ere. Maybe after 'e gets out of school, 'e could do some chores and such, as well as on weekends when there's no school. Right now, could use someone running errands for this lot, stead of my 'aving to keep one of my men close at 'and. You could pick 'im up when you finish at your job? By the time 'e finishes 'is chores at 'ome, imagine 'e'll be right willing to sleep through the night without going wandering. By the time they're back to full speed, imagine your daughter will be 'ere and can lend a 'and with keeping him out of trouble." The subject was discussed in some depth, and an agreement reached quickly.

Garrison had been a little skeptical, but in the end had to admit it had been a win-win situation. Danny was kept occupied, the guys found him amusing along with being helpful, and the Sergeant Major and his men were free for their other duties. If Danny learned a few things most boys in the village might not know, including how to pick a pocket and stack a deck of cards, how to recognize a pair of loaded dice, along with how to play a cunning game of poker, he also made considerable advancements in his reading skills, learning the rudiments of chess and a few other things. Everyone agreed that overall it did him more good than harm. Though his grandfather did have to give him a stern talking to on one issue. 

"Yes, I know, Danny, but your aunt Dorrie? She's a firm believer in the alphabet, ALL of the letters, and she's going to expect you to USE your H's. I know not everyone does, and there's no harm in knowing other ways, but for the most part? I'd just as soon you use someone else as an example in that rather than Goniff, not that he's not a fine fellow in his way. And no, I don't mean copying Actor or Casino, either. From them, it's one thing; coming out of your mouth, well, I'd just rather not hear it, if you don't mind; it's just confusing to an old man like me. Especially when you don't stick with one or the other but just mix it all up. No, you stick with what's more common around here; will most likely come out for the best. As for the rest, the borrowing books, an extra lesson here and there, running errands? Well, I see no harm in that, Danny, no harm at all." 

And so it was. Sometimes things just didn't go according to plan. Sometimes, it all still works out. Dorrie agreed with that sentiment, once she'd heard the whole story. Perhaps even more so after she met Private Perkins when delivering Danny for a day at the Mansion and found her old home had much more to offer than she'd previously thought. Danny? Well, he'd gone from only having his grandfather to keep an eye on him (at least til his father and uncle returned home) to having any number of people willing to lend a hand. Yes, sometimes, it all works out quite well.


End file.
